His Dark Purpose (The Desperate Binds #3)

Prologue

The Woman She Was

Amy Kendal

Years before Kyle

“Graham, I’m home.”

Shaking the rain from her sodden umbrella, Amy threw the wet brolly onto the mat as she stepped into the house. She turned, expecting to see her husband in the hallway, but closing the front door, there was no one to welcome her.

“Welcome home, Darling.” She muttered the words under her breath as she shuffled out of her damp coat. “It’s lovely to see you.”

She didn’t know why she was surprised. The absent greeting had become the norm in recent months. Even when she and Graham were home at the same time, they scarcely talked to one another.

“Mum.”

Her eldest son, Seth, appeared on the upstairs landing, his expression serious. It had equally been too long since she’d had any time with him. Between his school, her work, and his hectic social life, she barely saw him anymore.

“Hi, Seth.”

The dark light in his eyes simmered anxiety in her belly. She’d seen that look before and didn’t always like where it led.

“Are you okay?” Holding her breath, she waited as he descended the stairs toward her.

“I hate to ask, but…” His gaze fell to the worn carpet.

“You need money.” She finished the sentence for him.

Well, of course, he does.

It was always money. When did one of them not need money?

“Right.” He sighed, towering over her even when he reached the bottom step. Her little boy was almost a man. “I didn’t want to ask Dad. He seems so stressed.”

Unlike me, you mean?

She forced a smile, hoping the gesture hid the response dancing in her head. “What do you need money for?”

She braced for his answer. Seth had refused to get a part-time job to pay for his growing alcohol habit, and she certainly wasn’t facilitating his underaged addiction. Amy had been young once, too, and she’d made mistakes, but Seth seemed to have a propensity for repeating his.

“The school is running the Duke of Edinburgh scheme.” His lips tugged. “And I’d love to join.”

“The Duke of Edinburgh scheme?”

She’d heard about the system designed to engage young people with expeditions and volunteering, but she’d never have thought Seth would be interested in taking part. It seemed such a long way from the types of behavior he considered fun.

“Yes.” He grinned. “Apparently, it’s good for teamworking and building life skills.”

“ You want to join the scheme?”

After so many years of Seth being in and out of trouble with the school, she struggled to believe what she was hearing, but she desperately wanted to believe it.

Seth had always been her bad boy, but he was still her baby.

She knew beneath the hardened shell he’d grown around himself, there was a caring kid, but sometimes that loveable rogue was difficult to find.

“Yes.” He faked shock at her question. “Why the tone of surprise, Mum?”

Amy laughed at his sardonic tone. “Let’s just say I wasn’t expecting you to suggest it, that’s all.”

“But I have.” He shrugged. “It might be good for me. What do you think?”

“I think it’s a great idea.” Getting involved in something constructive was exactly what he needed. Maybe then she could worry about him less. “How much do you need?”

Hanging her coat over the bottom of the banister, she gripped onto the wood for support. Whatever he said next would be the crux of the matter. They were having enough problems paying the household bills without a new school scheme being thrown into the mix, but she wanted to do whatever she could to support Seth. He deserved a chance to do the right thing. She hadn’t given up hope for her firstborn.

I never will.

“A couple of hundred.” He cringed, as if he knew how much of a feat it would be for them to find the cash. “I know it’s a lot, but…”

“Let me talk to Dad.” Reaching for his arm, she squeezed his bicep gently, the muscle flexing beneath his sweatshirt. Sometimes, she forgot just how grown up he’d become. Soon, he wouldn’t need her at all. “We’ll see what we can do.”

Beaming, he threw his arms around her in an impromptu bear hug, which nearly took her breath away. “Thank you, Mum!”

“It’s okay.” Wrapped up in his embrace, she could scarcely get any air. “You know I love you, don’t you?”

Drawing away, he patted her on the head as though she was nothing more than a pet.

“Of course, I do.” He winked at her. “That’s why I stick around.”

She slapped his chest playfully. “Why don’t you come to the lounge, and we’ll speak to Dad together?”

Seth glanced down the narrow hallway toward the kitchen door as if considering her suggestion. “Actually, Mum, I was about to go out.”

“Out where?” She didn’t like the sound of that. He had exams coming up soon, and she was sure he should be studying.

“Just with friends.” He edged past her and reached for his jacket. “No one special.”

“But Seth, it’s pouring down out there, and I haven’t seen you all day.” Her tone was imploring. “Stay here and tell me more about the scheme. I can help you plan, and—”

“Mum.” His voice spoke of exasperation. “I’ve been stuck here all day studying. I could really use some downtime.”

Scanning his face, she noticed how tired he looked. Maybe he did merit some time with friends as a reward for his hard work.

“Okay.” She continued as he pulled on his coat, “But what about dinner? Will you be back?”

“I doubt it.” Glancing over his shoulder, he yanked the front door open. “Don’t wait for me.”

Their gazes locked for a second as the howling wind blew a fresh cascade of rain into the entrance, then he was gone. Pushing the door closed behind him, a tinge of sadness echoed in her chest.

Neither of her sons was a little kid anymore. She’d have to get used to saying goodbye to them.

“Was that Seth?” Graham’s worn-out tone reverberated from behind her.

“Yep.” Spinning to face her husband, she couldn’t shake the feeling that their son hadn’t been telling her the whole truth. She longed to have faith in him, but years of being let down had conditioned her to think the worst.

She blew out a breath. It’s nothing. I have to cut Seth some slack.

“How was your day?” She turned her attention to the man she’d married, noticing how the lines around his eyes seemed more entrenched than she remembered. Graham was working himself into the ground, and it was starting to show. “Are you okay, Gra?”

“Not really.” He waved a wad of paperwork between them. “I got a visit from the new landlord today.”

“Oh?” That didn’t sound good.

She recalled the letter they’d received a few weeks before that had outlined the handover of property ownership. As she remembered, it was supposed to have been ‘seamless’, but in Amy’s experience, new landlords always wanted more money.

Who doesn’t?

“And?” she prompted when Graham said nothing further.

“And he wants more bloody money.” He slumped against the wall as though the weight of the world’s woes were pulverizing him.

His body language perfectly mirrored the crushing sensation tightening in her chest. They were both working as hard as they could. There was no more money.

“What did you tell him?” She considered offering him a hug, but somehow, their relationship had changed in the last few years. Recent times had seen them defined more by toil and struggle than affection and desire, and the gesture seemed oddly out of place.

“The truth.” His gaze flitted to hers. “That we can’t afford it.”

The ball of apprehension furled until she couldn’t pull in a new breath. She respected Graham’s honesty, but really, what was he thinking telling their landlord that? If they didn’t pay, then the new guy would just evict them, and they’d never find a home as lovely as Aspen Way on their salaries.

“Oh.” She barely pushed the word from her lips, her brows knitting.

How had it come to this?

Neither of them had ever been unemployed, and she’d worked full time since the boys had started school, yet they could hardly make ends meet.

“Are you saying that we’re out of here, then?” Lifting her chin, she was resolved to hear the truth. However painful it was. “Is that what the landlord decided?”

“No.” Graham sounded as surprised about the verdict as she felt. “He didn’t say anything about chucking us out.”

“What then?” She was grateful, but it didn’t make sense. Landlords didn’t usually offer charity.

“He said he’d be in touch.” He turned, throwing the paperwork into the lounge. Amy heard the thud as the stack hit the sofa. “More than that, I don’t know.”

“Right…” She shifted closer. “We have a reprieve then.”

“For now.” His brow rose, offering no more security than that.

“I guess we should be thankful for small mercies.” She smiled, trying to lighten the mood.

Evidently, it was not a good moment to mention Seth’s Duke of Edinburgh scheme. She’d have to make that happen herself somehow.

“We’ll definitely take it.” He turned and walked into the living room. “We could use some good luck.”

Moving to the doorway, she was inclined to agree, but she couldn’t understand why the landlord wasn’t insisting they pay the rent increase.

Tenancy rules were clear—either tenants paid or they vacated the property—but apparently, the new guy’s terms were different, and she couldn’t fathom how that worked.

One thought lingered as she offered to make Graham a cup of tea.

If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.